Persons living alone are at risk of going without help for a long period if they have an accident or medical emergency that leaves them incapacitated. This is especially true for the elderly but the risk exists for anyone who spends long periods alone. One solution to this problem is for members of a family or small group of friends to routinely check up on each other.
At present devices exist to facilitate the health and welfare monitoring of a person living alone. These devices typically incorporate sensors in a living space to track the resident's activity level and can send an alarm to a third party if that activity falls below some threshold. Another variation requires the resident to wear a small button box such as a bracelet or necklace that allows the owner to signal for help. A drawback of the former sensor is the requirement for specially instrumenting the home to support the monitoring. This also limits monitoring to just the instrumented areas. A drawback of the latter is the requirement that the user carry it at all times which is often not practical. Furthermore the user must be capable of activating the alarm in time of need, which is not always possible.
At present all such devices are designed with a subject to be monitored and one or more third parties to be notified if an emergency occurs. Such products are intended primarily for individuals with special needs or higher risk of needing assistance such as the elderly.
In addition, there is a wider demographic of individuals who live alone some or all of the time. Any of these individuals is at risk for a medical emergency such as a heart attack or a fall that could leave them unable to seek help on their own. Typically these individuals would not consider setting up a welfare alerting system for themselves given the low probability of an incident. However, these same individuals typically have a small circle of friends or relatives who would from time to time manually check up on each other as a matter of habit if one of their friends has not been heard from for too long.
Additionally, there is a demographic of people who wish to encourage their friends and associates to remain physically active and to motivate one another to achieve healthy activity and exercise goals. This had traditionally been difficult to do, as it often involves making repetitive inquiries of a personal nature.